A Year to Remember
by Ketasalirin
Summary: Eponine and Azelma Thenardier are the new girls at Patria High. They befriend a diverse group of boys, and what follows is a year to remember. Rated T for language, drug/alcohol use, and some sexual situations. Modern High School AU, Reviews appreciated.
1. September- Part One

**This is my first fanfic, it's about the Les Amis attending high school together, Eponine and Azelma as the new girls. Rated T for language, alcohol use, and some sexual situations.**

**Reviews always appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables.**

############

"Ponine!" Eponine woke from her sleep as Azelma jolted her awake. "Get up!"

"Mmmmm... coming, Zelma." Azelma tore the sheets off of Eponine, who was hit with a cold blast of air. "I said I'm coming!"

"Mom says you need to get up now." Azelma stormed out of the room, leaving Eponine on the bed.

Eponine stumbled to the bathroom and started combing the tangles out of her hair. Azelma peered in at Eponine.

"What are you wearing today?" She asked her older sister.

"I dunno. Probably just jeans and a t-shirt."

"Oh. Do you, by any chance, have a midriff?"

"Uh, no!" Eponine turned and looked curiously at her little sister. "Why?"

"Just... wanted to have guys... notice me." Azelma choked out. Eponine _awwed _and pulled Azelma into a hug.

"You are adorable. Guys will notice you without a midriff." She kissed her little sister's head. Azelma clawed her way out of Eponine's tight grasp.

"Whatever. I'll just put on a dress." Azelma left Eponine in the restroom. "And it wouldn't kill you to put on something besides jeans!" She called from downstairs. Eponine looked at herself in the mirror. It wouldn't kill her to dress nicely, would it? She put a stray brown hair behind her ear and chuckled at thought of being beautiful.

############

"Patria High School." Azelma slowly read on the sign that stood in front of the office. "Home of the Red and Black Revolutionaries." Azelma looked over at the small building that sat a distance away from the high school itself. The architecture was hideous. "That's, um, interesting!" She said with a laugh. Eponine looked at her sister happily. To anyone passing, Azelma was a regular, pretty teenager, in a flowery dress with purple shoes. But to Eponine, the dress and shoes were the result of a successful burglary her father committed. Eponine looked a lot less flattering in a nirvana t-shirt and faded skinny jeans, not that she cared.

"Come on, Zelma." Eponine said.

"Come on where?"

"To the office."

"Why?"

"We have to check in as new students."

"Oh, right." The sisters walked off to the office.

############

Eponine held open the door for Azelma. A 20-ish something woman sat at the desk, reading through the computer while talking on the phone.

"No... yes, ma'am, I understand your son is sick... there's no such thing as... No, I don't hav- Yes ma'am, I will excuse him. What's his name? Joly?" The woman held the phone with her head and shoulder while she quickly typed on the keyboard. "Ok... yes, ok, have a nice day. Bye." The woman slammed the phone down and put her face in her hands. She started mumbling about parents, until realizing Eponine and Azelma were standing in front of the desk. "Oh, hello girls. Never mind that... what are you here for?"

"We're new here, and we missed orientation." Eponine told the woman as Azelma looked at the pictures hanging on the wall. There were photos of the band, baseball team and student council. The words "Make New Friends" were written across the bottom of some, while others said "Have Fun" or "Make Memories of a Lifetime".

"Ah, yes. There's always a few of you." The woman started typing on the computer again. "Names?"

"Eponine and Azelma Thenardier." The woman scrolled through a list of all the students name and found the Thenardiers. She began writing down their schedules on a piece of paper.

"Here you go," she said, handing the paper to Eponine. "And if you have any questions, please come in and ask. I'm always here."

"Thank you, uhh..."

"Delia." The woman told Eponine.

"Oh. Thank you, Delia." Eponine made for the door. "Come on, Azelma." Her sister darted after her.

"What a nice girl!" Delia said after the Thenardier sisters were gone.

############

"Band, Trigonometry, Physical Science, English, PE, and World History," Azelma told her sister as the two walked through the first floor of the school. "That's my entire schedule. What's yours?" Azelma asked.

"Uhhh..." Eponine stopped in the hallway to read the paper. "English, Economics, Earth Science, PE, Geometry, and Public Speaking."

"You signed up for public speaking?" Azelma asked curiously.

"I don't what the hell I signed up for, Zelma."

"Well, whatever." Azelma said. The bell ran and Eponine was about to run off to English when Azelma grabbed her sleeve.

"Can you come to the band room after class?"

"Sure." Azelma let go of Eponine's sleeve and Eponine melted into the crowd of hurried students. Azelma made her way to the grassy field of the school where the band room sat by itself. A group of students stood in front, screaming about wine and beer. The teacher opened the door and attempted to calm them down, but instead decided to let everyone in.

"Take a seat anywhere, we'll get a seating chart arranged later," The teacher yelled from the front of the room. Azelma sat down in the front. She wanted to turn around and talk to someone around her, when she realized that she knew nobody.

It sucked being the new girl.


	2. September- Part Two

**So that was the first chapter! A little bit slow, but I promise, it gets better. Please check out my tumblr blog, it's ketasalirin. There are some lovely graphics and if you don't like reading fanfic on FFnet, I'll post the chapters on there. I will also give you a heads up, I'm only on the computer on weekends now that school has started up again. Thank you for your support! Reviews appreciated.  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables.**

###############

Eponine was sitting down in her English class, staring at the wall. She wondered what her sister was doing, or more likely _how_ her sister was doing. She had chosen to sit in the back, where she could play Legend of Zelda on her phone without anyone noticing. Maybe the boy next to her would mind, but he was busy reading _The Story of the June Rebellion._

"Apollo!" A dark-haired boy said when he spotted the kid next to Eponine. The kid looked up at his friend.

"Grantaire, I've told you not to call me that." So he had a name. The boy walked over and sat down in the desk next to Eponine.

"You've told me not to call you many things." Grantaire replied with a smile. "Hottie, Blondie, Apollo... I could go on."

"Please don't." The boy grumbled from behind his book. Grantaire smirked, then looked at Eponine, who was wishing she was anywhere but between these two boys.

"Well, hello there!" Grantaire said as he pulled off his beanie and fluffed his curls.

"Hi." Eponine said. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Grantaire noticed.

"Sorry if we're making this awkward, but that cute blonde next to you is in love with me but doesn't want to admit it." The blonde frowned.

"I am not in love with you."

"Yes you are!" Grantaire grabbed Eponine's hand and shook it. "Grantaire, but my friends and brunettes call me R. And that's Apollo." He pointed at the blonde.

"My name is Enjolras," he said. "Not Apollo."

Eponine looked at Enjolras. He did look like Apollo, even if he denied it. His hair was blonde and curly, his eyes were oh-so-blue, and man, was he muscular! Eponine admitted he was handsome.

"Whatever you say." Grantaire scoffed then turned back to Eponine. "What's your name? Amanda, Chloe, Desirae?"

"Eponine." She said quietly. This guy was scaring her a little bit, plus his breath smelled like vodka.

"Eponine! That's a gorgeous name." Grantaire almost jumped out of his chair in excitement. The teacher walked around, handing out copies of the class syllabus. Grantaire scanned his eyes over it, then started folding it into a paper airplane. "Are you new? I've never seen you before."

"Yeah. My family moved here a couple weeks ago. My dad... is in the military." She lied.

"Army dad, huh? Yeah, we got one with that."

"Marius's dad is dead, R." Enjolras told them from behind his book.

"What a downer." Grantaire shook his head. "But you're adorable, so I'll forgive you for it." He turned to Eponine. "Y'know, you should hang out with us!"

"Oh, well, I don't want to be intruding..."

"No! Not at all! We need another girl in our group, because no matter how long Enjolras' hair is, he doesn't have a vagina. Plus he refuses to be trans." Enjolras shot Grantaire an angry look.

Eponine blushed, and started giggling. "Well... can I bring my sister?"

###############

In band, Azelma sat quietly and stared at the trophies on the shelves, while the conductor talked about the year's events.

"Ok, these are the permission slips to go on the Disneyland trip... we'll be selling candy for that soon... here are the health waivers- MARK THAT IS NOT A CHAIR PLEASE DO NOT SIT ON THE PERCUSSION EQUIPMENT- take these home to your parents and have them sign it so you can come on all the trips."

Azelma looked in her lap, where there were several inches of papers. _Like my parents are gonna sign any of this..._ she thought. _I'll have Eponine forge it for me. _The conductor pulled out yet another stack of papers.

"Since our school district adapted to common core, they had this _terrific_ idea to have kids in performing art classes to make at least one new friend. So take a paper, find a partner, then fill it out with your partner's interests." The conductor handed out the papers, and everyone stood up, grabbing a friend. Azelma stayed seated and hoped someone would come over.

"Hello." A voice said. Azelma looked up. A boy stood in front of her. The first thing she noticed was his hair was in a braid. The second thing she noticed was that there were flowers weaved into it. "Is this seat taken?"

"No." The boy sat down next to her. They stared at each other for a few minutes, but Azelma broke the silence. "So we have to write stuff down."

"Yeah." He looked at his paper. "For starters, you could tell me your name."

"Azelma Thenardier." Azelma looked at him as he focused on writing. "What's yours?"

"Jean Prouvaire. But... people call me Jehan."

"Jehan." Azelma tested out his name. "That's a nice name." She wrote down Jean "Jehan" Prouvaire on her paper. "Next question. What do you do in your free time?"

"Poetry." Azelma looked at him, confused. "I read and write it. What about you?"

"Uhh..." Azelma struggled for an answer. The truth was she helped her father rob stores and commit crimes, but she didn't want to tell Jehan that. This was her chance to start over. "I... like... to... listen to music?"

"Cool." _He bought it_, Azelma thought. _Thank god. "_Uh, what's your favorite movie?"

"Probably_ Annie_."

"Oh, really? That's my second favorite. I like _Moonrise Kingdom_ more." Jehan scribbled on his paper.

"What's that about?

"A teenager girl runs away with a boy scout. It's a romance." Azelma's eyes caught with Jehan's. For a moment, she felt happy.

"That's sweet." Azelma wrote down _Moonrise Kingdom, a love story._

An hour later, and Azelma knew most of Jehan's likes and dislikes. His favorite color was baby blue (he said it matched the sky), his favorite flavor of ice cream was cappuccino (because it gives him a coffee buzz which is great for his writing), and he owned a bunny named Choo-Choo (he insisted his little brother named it).

"You should hang out with me and my friends," Jehan suggested to her as they packed up to leave.

"Really?"

"Yeah. They're pretty cool."

"Alright, but I have to meet up with my sister."

"That's fine."

###############

_BBB-RRINNNGG!_

"So where is your sister?" Grantaire asked as Eponine pushed against the crowds coming towards her. Enjolras walked side-by-side with Eponine, while Grantaire strayed behind.

"She has band first period." Eponine led them to the band room.

"Wonder if she's met Prouvaire yet." Grantaire mumbled under his breath. Eponine held open the band room door to let some freshman out. Once they were out, Eponine stuck her head through the door. Azelma was sitting down, next to another kid. Azelma started laughing at something he said. _Well, good_, Eponine thought, _she made a friend_.

"Zelma!" Eponine called from the doorway. Azelma looked over. She waved to her sister, then grabbed her bag and stood up. The kid did the same. Eponine went into the building. Grantaire and Enjolras followed.

"Is this your sister?" Enjolras asked.

"Yeah. Guys, meet Azelma. Azelma, meet Grantaire and Enjolras."

"Call me R," Grantaire quickly said after Eponine finished talking. The other boy stood there awkwardly. "So I see you've met Jehan." Grantaire said, wrapping his arms around Jehan's shoulders. "He's our resident virgin/poet." Jehan's eyes widened.

"R!" He

"What? I'm just being honest!" Azelma started giggling, and Eponine joined in.

"I'm going to go find 'Ferre." Enjolras said as he walked away.

"Wait for us!" Grantaire grabbed Eponine by the wrist and ran after Enjolras. Jehan and Azelma followed.

###############

"Grantaire brought new people," Enjolras told a group of boys sitting together in of the stairwells. Eponine had been dragged by Grantaire all the way across from the band room to the main building, and then pulled her up the stairs. The entire time, Azelma and Jehan had been walking behind them, side-by-side.

"Oh boy," One of them said. Grantaire sat down, then pulled Eponine to the ground. Azelma and Jehan took a seat on the bottom step.

"Guys, this is Eponine and Azelma." Grantaire told the group. Mumbled 'hi's' and 'hey's' came from the group of boys. "Eponine and Azelma, this is Combeferre-we call him Ferre-, Couferyac, Joly, Bossuet, Bahorel, Feuilly, and of course you've already met Enjolras and Jehan." Eponine waved at the group of boys. Grantaire looked around, confused. "Where's Pontmercy?"

"He's with Cosette." Courferyac replied.

"The 'love of his life,' " Bahorel said sarcastically with air quotes. Everyone started laughing like it was the funniest thing ever, and Eponine felt a little out of it. Even Azelma was laughing, which made no sense. "They barely even kiss."

"And when they do, Marius looks like he lost his virginity," Bossuet added.

After the laughter had died down, Combeferre's phone buzzed.

"Is it Cameilla?" Courferyac asked while Combeferre looked at his phone.

"No, it's Marius. He says that he and Cosette are coming over now." The entire group groaned.

"What's wrong with that?" Eponine asked.

"She's... sort of an airhead. Only talks to Marius, and when she does acknowledge our existence, it's just a nod."

"Oh. She sounds kind of stupid." Azelma said. Eponine glared at her with a _we don't say mean things about people _look.

"Here they come," Enjolras muttered as all the boys turned their heads down the hallway. Eponine stared at her shoes while everyone uncomfortably shifted in their place.

"Hi guys!" A friendly voice said.

"Hey Marius." Enjolras replied. Eponine looked up. _Wow._


	3. September-Part Three

**Ahh chapter three is here! Reviews appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables. Because if I did, Enjonine and Jehazelma would be canon.**

###############

It was later that week when Azelma realized something was very wrong with her sister. Shortly after meeting Marius Pontmercy, Eponine had spent the rest of the week with glazed eyes and a way too happy smile. Eponine had even spent more time talking to Azelma, mostly about Marius, of course.

Azelma was sitting on the front steps of their apartment building, reading Ariel by Sylvia Plath. Jehan had recommended it to her. She heard steps coming towards her, but did not break eye contact with the book.

"Hey Zelma," Eponine said. Eponine sat down next Azelma and looked at the book. "Whatcha reading?"

"Ariel. It's by Sylvia Plath." Azelma still stared at the the book.

"Well, the only Ariel I know of is the Little Mermaid," Eponine said with a laugh. They sat in silence for a while. "Do you think Marius likes me?"

Azelma sighed. She looked at her older sister with an eyebrow raised. "Eponine, he has a girlfriend. Cosette, remember?"

"Yeah, but she's not for him!" Eponine replied. She felt a little bit backed into a corner. On one hand, Marius did have Cosette as a girlfriend.

On the other hand, Bahorel said they barely kiss.

"Ponine, aren't you the girl who said that you weren't into boys?"

"Well, yeah, but Marius-"

"Is a boy." Azelma interrupted. She closed her book, set it on the ground, and crossed her arms. "Just because you like him doesn't mean he's any different from another boy. Why do you like him?"

"Because he's nice! And handsome!"

"Those aren't very good reasons." Azelma said, returning to her book. Eponine knew she felt like she won. Eponine decided to turn the subject around.

"Well, what about you and Jehan?" Azelma turned red and looked up from her book.

"W- I, uh, well, uh, we're not-that's not!" Azelma stuttered as Eponine laughed. "We're just friends."

"Whatever you say." Eponine said, standing up. She brushed gravel off the butt of her pants, then walked inside the house.

Once she was gone, Azelma put down her book and pulled her knees to her chest. _Just friends_, she thought.

Since their new apartment was small, there wasn't anywhere to go. The living room was packed even tighter since nobody had taken anything out of the boxes besides clothes. I'll help set things up a little bit, Eponine thought. That'll take my mind off of Marius, plus I'm getting kind of sick of sleeping without a pillow.

Eponine found the cardboard box that read _'Ponine'_. She ran her fingers over the lid before opening it.

A cloud of dust greeted Eponine, and she waved her hands to clear the air while struggling for a breath. She dug through some stuff, lying the little things on the ground.

"NOO!" Her mother yelled as she ran into the room, hair in curlers and mail in hand. She looked flustered, and pushed Eponine away from the tower of boxes. "Ponine, what do ya think yer doing?" Her mother said, her accent showing up slightly. Her hands were rested on Eponine's shoulders.

"Uh, unpacking my stuff?"

"Why would ya do that?"

"Because... I ... need my pillow?"

"Ponine," her mother said, pulling her hands off of Eponine. "We can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because we may need to bolt from here, if yer father's antics catch up with him." Mrs. Thenardier said, walking over to the fridge. "Have ya seen yer brother round?"

"No, I haven't seen him around since we moved in."

Her mother sighed. "Neither have I, or yer father for that matter. He's probably living on the street, with the other bums." Her mother wavered for a moment, then stormed upstairs into the bathroom and slammed the door. _That's my parents_, Eponine thought. _Doesn't even care if their youngest son isn't at home at night._ Eponine walked over to the fireplace and looked at the pictures of her family. In all of them, Gavroche, Eponine, and Azelma were smiling. Her mother and father were off to the side, looking less than amused.

"I wish I had a real family", Eponine whispered under her breath.

###############

"Hold the door!" Eponine yelled as she ran to make the bell. Azelma hadn't gotten up in time, and Eponine didn't want to leave without her sister. So she waited. For 30 minutes. Enjolras rested one hand the door to keep it open. Eponine rushed in as the bell rang.

"That was close," Enjolras chuckled as he and Eponine walked over to their seats.

"Yeah, Azelma's a little bit of sleepyhead." Eponine replied, setting down her stuff. She slumped into her chair, and Enjolras slowly took his seat as well. The teacher walked up to the front.

"Now that we've gotten through most of the week, I will be assigning your first project." The teacher said, and was met with a unanimous groan from the students, with the exception of Enjolras, who seemed to light up at the announcement. "You will be assigned a subject, which you will then create a short PowerPoint presentation for. Remember, even though the goal is to improve you public speaking skills, you will also be graded on the material within the presentation."

The teacher walked around with an envelope, and instructed kids to pull a slip out. Each slip had a subject matter written on it. The subjects ranged from famous people to everyday hobbies. The teacher made her way over to Eponine and held out the envelope. Eponine carefully slipped her hand inside and pulled out a single paper. She read it.

_Feminism._

She heard Enjolras groan behind her. He leaned forward.

"I got _poetry_," he said with a shudder.

"Feminism," she replied.

"Lucky." He stuck the slip in his binder. "I'll talk to Jehan later."

###############

During lunch, the group was sitting together in their usual spot on the stairs. And everyone brought along their girlfriends. (At least those who had them.)

Camellia was Ferre's girlfriend. She was a year older (Grantaire made a joke about older women) and had already been accepted to Stanford on a full ride. Camellia was also a super genius and had won the Google scholarship that their school gave out every year.

Eponine knew enough about Cosette.

Musichetta was in an open relationship with Joly and Bossuet. She was sassy and powerful. Everything Eponine wanted to be, but wasn't.

Rosangela was Bahorel's exchange student girlfriend from Italy. Her voice was like silk, and she seemed nice.

Musichetta was the first one to suggest it.

"We should have a sleepover," she said. Eponine turned and looked at her.

"Like... together?" Musichetta giggled, and Rosangela and Camellia joined in.

"Well, duh! How about tonight?"

"Well, I, uh, I don't really know you guys that well." Eponine suggested. Azelma rolled her eyes, then turned to Musichetta.

"Sounds fun, Musi! I'm up for it."

"Great!" Musichetta said as the bell rang. "I'll text you the address. Bring a sleeping bag!" Musichetta added as she took off down the hall with Joly and Bossuet. Eponine looked angrily at Azelma, who gave a smile.

###############


	4. September- Part Four

**Hey, thanks so much for the follows, favorites and comments, it really keeps me going! Once again, please check out and follow ketasalirin on tumblr, cool stuff gets posted there! Reviews appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables.**

############

"I think... pink!" Musichetta said to the circle of girls in her bedroom, the middle in which Eponine sat.

Eponine was confused. She'd let Azelma talk her into a sleepover with girls she barely knew. She'd let Azelma sit in the front seat as they drove over to Musichetta's in their dad's beat up Stationwagon. She'd let Azelma greet Musichetta with a hug as Cosette offered to carry in their sleeping bags.

And now Eponine was letting Musichetta choose what color to dye her ends.

As the girls murmured in agreement, Eponine let her eyes wander the room, looking at Musichetta's vast collection of beauty supplies, spun glass sculptures, and pictures of her and the other girls over the years. _Cosette's always been pretty,_ Eponine thought. _Much more than me._

Musichetta ran over to her dresser and grabbed a box of pink hair dye. Eponine looked thoroughly terrified as Musichetta started with the dye.

While Musichetta was busy with Eponine, Azelma sat with Cosette and the other girls, talking about boys- specifically their boys.

"Combeferre doesn't get it. I mean, like, the least he could do is try," Camellia told them as she furiously typed away on her phone. "He's shouldn't be inexperienced, I mean, he's not a virgin like Marius- sorry, Cosette, but it's true- so Ferre might just be lazy. Or ignorant." Camellia had taken the conversation away from boys, and to a more intimate conversation about _boys_. Cosette was visibly uncomfortable, which made Eponine laugh, despite the fact Musichetta was almost done with her hair.

Musichetta dragged Eponine into the bathroom to show her the new hair.

"Ta-da!" Musichetta said with a dramatic flourish of her hands. Eponine peered curiously into the mirror at her highlights. They were actually quite pretty, since the pink mixed well with her brown hair. She turned and looked at Musichetta, who was grinning from ear-to-ear.

"It's fine," Eponine said with shrug.

############

"Zelma," Eponine whispered when she thought everyone was asleep. Azelma let out an annoyed sigh and turned over in her sleeping bag.

"What?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"What did Cosette say about Marius? Y'know, when you guys were talking?" Eponine said as she sat up in the darkness.

"She said they're waiting." Azelma groaned as she turned back over and stuffed her face into the pillow.

"Oh." Eponine said with a smile. "Anything else?"

"Camellia said you and Enjolras would make a cute couple." Azelma quickly added, then buried herself inside the sleeping bag. Eponine started blushing furiously, and was incredibly thankful that Musichetta's room was pitch black and everyone besides the sisters were asleep.

"Well, he's not really my type..." Eponine quietly murmured. What else could she say? He was nice, friendly and charismatic. Plus he was hot... but he just wasn't Marius. Eponine laid back down and tried to go to sleep.

Azelma had other plans.

She pulled out her phone and prayed that Jehan was still awake.

A: Are you awake?

J: Yeah, I'm working on some poetry

A: Oh thank fucking god I need someone to talk to

I'm at a sleepover and all anyone wants to talk about are their bfs penises

J: Maybe you guys should talk about something else

A: Maybe I should talk about yours ;)

J: Uhhh

A: haha did I make you uncomfortable

J: uncomfortable is definitely not the word

my mom is making me turn out the lights

A: Night

J: Night :)

############

The day had come for Eponine and Enjolras to present their projects to the class. Eponine had done little to no work, but she felt her speech would make up for it. As she walked to school that morning, she wondered what Enjolras' project would sound like.

"Your hair looks nice," Enjolras said when he saw her that morning. His name was the first one to be called.

Enjolras walked confidently up to the front of the class as the teacher put his PowerPoint on the projector. A clean looking image of Shakespeare appeared on the screen, along with the words 'Poetry: The Art of Words.' Enjolras cleared his throat, then began his speech.

"Poetry. It's been an artistic expression for longer than we will ever know." Enjolras paced his way around the front of the room. "Come with me, as I take you on a journey of the world of poets throughout the years."

Enjolras talked about Robert Frost, Emily Dickenson, and of course, Shakespeare. His speech was very well-written, and his PowerPoint had so much stuff in it that Eponine's looked like it was naked.

"Maybe you just should have written more," Enjolras said when the teacher decided to not let Eponine continue with her three-slide presentation.

"Probably. But I don't have the motivation. I'm just lazy." Eponine said, resting her head on the desk. Enjolras took a long look at her.

"Eponine, you are capable of great things," Enjolras replied, jumping into a motivational pep talk. "Everyone is. I'm sure if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything."

"Anything?" Eponine asked, lifting her head up to look at Enjolras.

"Anything." He said. "Including being on the dance decoration committee?" Enjolras asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Eponine chuckled. "Sure."

She'd already been tricked into going to Musichetta's, she wasn't going to be tricked again.

Or maybe she was.


	5. October- Part One

**Sorry for that last chapter. I feel like it was more filler than actual material, but it was also when we start to see Enjolras and Eponine interacting. Anyhow, here is the fifth chapter! Reviews appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables.**

###############

She had let it happen again.

I've got to stop this, Eponine thought as she taped a garland made of orange and black tissue paper above one the doors of the cafeteria. Enjolras had managed to trick Eponine into helping him, Grantaire, and Bossuet with decorations. Not like R would ever show up though.

"Come on, cheer up," Enjolras said to Eponine, bumping her shoulders. He was taping a giant skeleton onto the inside of the door. A loud crash and a shout came from by the bathrooms, and the two turned their heads to see Bossuet and the smoke machine lying on the ground, Bossuet groaning and the smoke machine smashed beyond repair. People rushed over to help him as Eponine and Enjolras went back to their work.

"I am cheered up. It's just maybe I'd like to spend my Friday afternoon doing something other than decorating for a dance," Eponine replied as she finished, climbing on the stage. She sat down and moved her legs so that one was laying on the stage and one was dangling towards the ground. Enjolras climbed up next to her, pulling his legs into a crisscross.

"At least, you'll get to see your hard work pay off." Enjolras said, resting his elbows on his knees. Eponine watched with confusion as he massaged his neck.

"What?"  
>"I'm not going to the dance."<p>

"Why not?"

"I have more important things to do," Enjolras said, looking over at Bossuet, who had shards of plastic stuck in his face from the broken smoke machine. "That must hurt," he said, trying to change the subject.

"What more important things?" Eponine asked. She knew exactly what Enjolras was trying to do.

"Like… study."

"Oh, come on. It's the second month of school. You do not need to study." Eponine said, putting air quotes around 'study'.

"I just don't like going to dances." Enjolras replied as he hopped off the stage. He stuck his hands in his pockets and paraded around the empty cafeteria.

"Well, neither do I!" Eponine yelled to him from the stage. She jumped off and ran over. "I'm only going because Azelma is making me."

"That is not my fault," Enjolras chuckled. Eponine crossed her arms and looked at him with an annoyed face. He sighed. "Fine, maybe I'll… stop by."Bossuet hopped over. He had managed to get himself tangled in a mess of orange and black Christmas lights.

"You have to dress up for the dance," Bossuet mentioned. "It's for Halloween." Eponine started unwrapping Bossuet.

"Really?" Enjolras groaned. "What are you going to be, Eponine?"

"It's a surprise," she said with a sly smile as she freed Bossuet from the lights. He fell to the floor.

"Thanks!" Bossuet said, running off to grab more decorations.

"He's the unluckiest person I have ever met," Eponine said once he walked away.

###############

It was an hour before the dance, and Azelma had been in the bathroom all afternoon. Eponine decided to check on her, just in case she wasn't alive.

"Zelma?" Eponine asked, knocking gently on the door. "You okay?" Azelma, dressed in her costume, flung open the door with a dramatic flourish, nearly hitting Eponine.

"Well?" She asked her older sister. Eponine looked at her from head to toe. Azelma was wearing a Tinkerbell costume with her caramel hair pulled back into a tight bun. She wore so much green eyeshadow and pink lipstick you couldn't even tell it was Azelma unless you looked at her up close.

"Uh, nice." Eponine said. She was at a loss for words. It was strange seeing her sister in such a feminine outfit, and Eponine wondered where she might have gotten that trait from. "So you are Tinkerbell?"

"Yeah," Azelma said. She looked at her sister, who was still in her school clothes. "What are you supposed to be?"

"I haven't gotten changed yet, Zelma," Eponine said as she went into the bathroom. "Because somebody has been in the bathroom for the entire afternoon." Eponine slammed and locked the door shut as Azelma let out a chuckle.

"Sorry!"

###############

Eponine and Azelma arrived just as the dance was in full swing. Eponine had gone with being a zombie, and possibly had more makeup than Azelma had on. The two made an odd couple, a fairy and a brain eater.

"Hey! Look who showed up!" Courfeyrac said, greeting Eponine and Azelma with hugs. The rest of the group were over in the corner dancing or eating food. Eponine didn't see Enjolras, but she did see Azelma sneaking out of Courf's hug to go over to Jehan.

"Hey Azelma." Jehan said quietly. He was dressed like he normally would, but had Pikachu face paint on. "You look nice."

"Thanks. I like your face paint." At that moment, Grantaire stumbled over, dressed in a hot nurse outfit and reeking of gin. He wrapped one arm around Jehan for balance.

"Well?" Grantaire mumbled, nearly falling over.

"Well what?" Jehan responded.

"Are you going to ask the chick to dance!?" Grantaire yelled. Jehan's face went from a light pink to deep red.

"Well- um, I, um... uh... yeah?" Azelma put her face in her hands as Jehan stumbled for words.

"Here," Grantaire said as he attached Jehan's hands to Azelma's. He pushed them into the center of the dance floor. "You kids have fun!" Grantaire yelled as he tripped his way back over to the rest. Jehan furiously blushed while Azelma fought back a smile.

Enjolras entered at that moment, dressed like a nerd. He had the glasses, the suspenders, and the tucked in shirt. Eponine walked over to him, and Grantaire watched their exchange from a distance.

"Nice costume," Eponine said, laughing.

"I could say the same."

"Mine has more of a half-assed effort, though," Eponine replied, tugging on the hem of her flannel shirt. The two awkwardly stood in silence, until Enjolras spoke up.

"Wanna dance?" Enjolras said, putting out his hand. Eponine accepted it.

"Sure!" She said as she pulled him out to the dance floor, where Azelma and Jehan were awkwardly dancing.

Grantaire walked over to Combeferre and Courfeyrac.

"I'm with him ten years, nothing. She's known him for a month and suddenly they're dancing together." Grantaire told the two. Courfeyrac laughed.

"Maybe if you changed your behavior a little," he offered.

"What?"

"Well, you're drunk most of the time, and you make fun of Enjolras constantly."

"But, I mean, like, I know that. I just don't know how else to act around him."

"Just be nicer."

"I'll try," Grantaire sighed.


	6. October- Part Two

**Sixth Chapter! I really like how the story is turning out. Follow ketasalirin on tumblr! Reviews appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables.**

###############

Enjolras walked Eponine out to her car while Azelma and Jehan were behind them.

"That was fun," Enjolras mentioned to her.

"Yeah, it was." Eponine said. "It would have been better if Grantaire hadn't vomited all over the floor." Enjolras laughed.

"Yeah, that might have made it better."

"I've never danced with a girl before," Jehan said to Azelma.

"Really?" Azelma asked in surprise.

"Really. I mean, I've danced with Grantaire before, if that counts." Jehan laughed, running his fingers over his braid. Azelma loved his hair- she could stare at it all day. Her hand drfited to the bun on the top of her head. Short strands of hair had fallen out of place when she and Jehan were dancing.

"I don't think it does," Azelma chuckled as the group reached their car. Eponine went through her pockets looking for her keys while Enjolras said goodbye to Azelma and Jehan. Eponine thrust her keys into the car door and unlocked it.

"See you later, I guess," Enjolras said to Eponine.

"Bye." Enjolras walked off back towards the dance. Jehan didn't follow.

"Do you need a ride?" Eponine asked him.

"Uh, no thanks. My mom is picking me up." He replied.

"Ok. Be safe, Jehan," Eponine said, climbing into the driver's seat. Azelma hesitated for a moment.

"Bye, Jehan," Azelma shyly said.

"Bye." She leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. He turned beet red as Azelma jumped into the passenger seat.

"Thanks for the dance!" She called as Eponine drove off. Jehan could barely breathe.

Grantaire sat up against an oak tree in front of the gym, drinking a bottle of wine and running his free hand through the grass. He spotted Enjolras making his way back up to the gym.

"Hey, Apollo!" Grantaire slurred. Enjolras frowned as he approached the drunk.

"What do you want, R?" Enjolras asked sharply.

"I need to let you know I will be nicer to you from now on. I was informed by coat rack- coaf rack- couf reck- Courfeyrac, that I may be a little rude. So, I apologize." Grantaire said, which he followed with a loud burp. Enjolras rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"No problem, Enj."

Enjolras walked off while Grantaire continued his drinking. _There is hope!_ He thought to himself.

"Crazy drunk," Enjolras muttered as he walked.

###############

"The dance was fun!" Marius said happily to Eponine while they jogged around the track. She was starting to love PE- it was the one class she had with Marius, no Cosette, so Eponine could talk to him all she wanted.

"Yeah." Eponine said, running out of breathe. She started to wish she spent less time focusing on Marius and more time getting into shape. Eponine thought about him 24/7. Her thoughts weren't sexual, at least not that many, they were more about Eponine and Marius being a couple- dating, movies, popcorn, making out. Eponine knew deep down that she and Marius weren't possible. He loved Cosette more than words could describe. Eponine knew it. Azelma knew it. Jehan knew it, mostly because he was the one who came up with that line. _But it's great to dream,_ Eponine thought.

"Hey, me and Cosette are going to a gala for her father's company, and I was wondering if you'd like to come." Marius asked. Eponine could have dropped dead right there and would have been happy. _He asked me out!_ Eponine thought while fighting back a smile. _Sort of. "_We have two extra tickets."

"Two?"

"Yeah, so just like, bring someone else." Marius said as the teacher blew the whistle, prompting the kids to stop jogging and go get water. Eponine followed Marius to the water fountain. "Like Azelma!" Marius offered.

"Yeah, I'll ask Azelma."

###############

"No," Azelma said sternly after Eponine asked her when she entered their apartment.

"But I need a date!" Eponine nearly yelled.

"Exactly. Find a date. I'm your sister." Azelma told Eponine as she plopped onto the couch and starting flipping through channels on the television. Eponine noticed that the apartment was still empty except for major furniture, and that the boxes were still stacked in the dining room. "Why don't you ask Enjolras?"

"What?" Eponine snapped.

"He likes you. But since you're so busy living a ridiculous fantasy with Pontmercy, you've been blind to him." Azelma summed up. Eponine sat next to Azelma.

"He doesn't like me. At least, not like that."

"Yeah, he does," Azelma said. "He told me." She had lied but didn't feel bad about it, plus Eponine believed it.

"Really?" Eponine asked, twirling her recently dyed ends in her fingers. Pink went well with everything. "Well, maybe I will ask him."

"Good," Azelma said. After a few minutes, Eponine heard the voices of her three brothers outside. They threw open the door and Gavroche tossed his backpack and skateboard over by the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey boys," Eponine said. Gavroche was the oldest son, at 12. Simon was the second oldest, being 10. And Jacques was the youngest, aged only 8. They acted a lot older than they actually were.

"We'll need someone to babysit you," Eponine said, looking at Azelma, who rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. For now, let's focus on getting you a date."


	7. October- Part Three

**7th Chapter! This chapter is going to be a long one, so stick with me! Again, please follow ketasalirin on tumblr. Reviews appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Les Miserables.**

###############

"How about this one?" Musichetta asked, holding up a sequined blue dress. Despite her protests, Eponine had been taken to Macy's by Azelma and Musichetta to buy a dress for the gala. She hadn't even asked out Enjolras. Eponine sat in the corner of the dressing room, dressed only in her black bra and panties. The cold air of the department store hit her bare arms and legs.

"Uh, sure. Whatever you like, Chetta." Eponine shivered. They had been at it for hours, and Eponine was beginning to think that Macy's didn't have any dresses that were appropriate. Or maybe, the dress that Musichetta liked.

"I am so fucking sorry, Eponine." Musichetta said angrily as she threw the dress over the top of the door of the dressing room. "I am trying to find you a sexy dress to impress Enjolras but I am failing!" Eponine felt sorry for her, but she felt sorry for herself. Dress shopping was tiring. There was a gentle knock on the door.

"It's Azelma," Eponine heard her sister say. Musichetta opened the door, and Azelma rushed in with bright red dress. She handed it to Musichetta, who unwrapped the entire thing and took a long look at it.

"Oh. My. Fucking. God." Musichetta laughed. Azelma joined in. Eponine looked between the two of them, confused.

"Uh, what's so funny?"

"You need to buy this dress. Now." Musichetta threw it to Eponine, who immediately reacted with horror, shock, and surprise, all at the same time. It was a shade of fire red, sleeveless, and two sizes too small. "Try it on!" Chetta pressured. Eponine squeezed into it while trying to ignore all the bones in her body breaking and her organs slowly imploding. After she had gotten it on, Azelma and Musichetta stood still with mouths wide open.

"Well?" Eponine asked. Musichetta and Azelma started giggling and crying. Eponine crossed her arms across her chest and started blushing. "Are you going to answer me?"

"It looks amazing, Ponine! Enjolras will love you in that! In fact, it's his favorite color! Red!" Musichetta laughed. "Now, get changed so that we can buy this damn dress and finally be done!" Eponine quickly changed back into her jeans and t-shirt while Musichetta browsed through her purse to find her credit card.

After they bought the dress, Musichetta took the sisters out for smoothies to celebrate their win on the dress.

###############

Now that she had the dress, Eponine needed the date. Which was possibly the hardest part of the entire affair.

Eponine went up to Enjolras during English, one of the classes they had together. He was arguing with Grantaire about the importance of the June Rebellion.

"Hey, Enjolras?" Eponine asked, her voice breaking slightly. She tried to stay calm and collected, like Musichetta told her. _Oh, god_. Eponine thought. _I_ w_ish_ _Chetta_ _was_ _here_.

"Yeah, Eponine?"

"I was wondering if…." Eponine drifted off, forgetting what she was supposed to say next. Grantaire and Enjolras looked up at her, waiting for the rest. "If… you would like to go to a gala with me. It's for Cosette's father's company, and she wanted me and someone else to come." Grantaire turned and looked at Enjolras as he prayed that Enjolras would say no.

"Uh, sure." Enjolras replied. Grantaire's heart became heavy, and he fought back tears. How dare this girl come and move in on Enjolras? R had known Enjolras for longer, so why hadn't he made any progress. "What date?"

"The 25th. 7:00." Eponine felt a huge weight lift off her chest. Musichetta would be delighted. "Wear a suit."

"Awesome." Enjolras said with a smile. Grantaire glanced between them, feeling sorry for himself. Eponine took a seat between them as the teacher closed the door and started talking.

###############

On the night of the gala, Eponine once again squeezed into her sexy red dress while simultaneously trying to ignore and wish away the intense pain throbbing all over her abdomen and sides. She curled her hair, which still had the dyed ends, and she put on dark eyeshadow. Eponine finished, then stared at herself in the mirror. She looked... weird.

It was at this point Azelma walked in dressed in sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. Her hair was tied in a messy top bun. She took a look at Eponine.

"Nice."

"Really?" Eponine asked, way too happy.

"Yeah!" Azelma said, reaching into the medicine cabinet for her toothbrush. "Chetta did a good job with the ends. And the dress."

"Oh, right!" Eponine said, running out of the bathroom. Azelma bounded down the stairs after her. "I need to text Musichetta!"

"Why?"

"Because I need some advice so I don't look like an idiot." Eponine walked into the living room, where her three brothers sat on the couch watching Monsters Vs Aliens and drinking Capri Suns. She plopped down on the couch next to them and pulled out her phone. Eponine scrolled through her contacts until she found Musichetta.

E: So I'm about to leave for the gala

M: Great!

E: Any last advice?

M: Yeah

Don't fuck it up

E: Oh boy soo helpful

I can feel the life lesson settling in already

M: Haha very funny

Is Enjolras picking you up?

E: Yeah

M: When you get in the car, accidentally drop your purse on his lap then reach over to grab it bc that dress shows off so much cleavage

it'll be great

"What's cleavage?" Jacques asked. It hadn't occurred to Eponine that her youngest brother was leaning against her arm, reading her texts.

"Aah!" Eponine yelled, startled. "Uhh... nothing. It's nothing." Gavroche looked at her with one eyebrow raised. He knew. There was a knock on the door. Azelma answered it.

"Hello." Enjolras said. He was dressed in a black suit with a bright red tie that matched Eponine's bright red dress. His usually curly blonde hair was neatly combed back so that his face was visible. Enjolras was handsome, to say the least. "Am I early?"

"Uh, no. Right on time." Eponine said with a smile. She got up off the couch and grabbed her purse. Eponine turned to Azelma. "Watch the boys, no leaving and no friends."

"Fine." Azelma groaned. Eponine gave her little sister a kiss on the head, then shut the door behind her.

"Your dress looks nice," Enjolras said on the way down the stairs. "The color is my favorite."

"Oh, thanks. It matches your tie, too." Eponine mentioned. When they got to Enjolras' car, Eponine thought about pulling what Musichetta instructed her to do. But would she really sink to that level? Enjolras held open the passenger door and Eponine sat down. The seats were nice and leather, and it then occurred to her that the car was luxury- a Cadillac. _Nice_, she thought.

"My parents bought it for my birthday," Enjolras said, reading Eponine's mind. There was a hint of tension in his voice. "I tried refusing but they pressed it on me. I'm not really thankful about it."

"Oh." Eponine said quietly as Enjolras started the car. The Cadillac took off on a smooth drive down the street. _What person isn't thankful for a freaking luxury car?_ She thought. Her parents would never do something so nice._ Ungrateful. _She didn't know how to reply. The two were quiet for the rest of the ride.

"This is the place," Enjolras said as the car pulled into the parking lot of a business building. Lights flashed in the front, and butlers stood in front of the doors, stopping people to check purses and tickets. He walked around the car, and opened the door for Eponine. She stepped out, feeling like her dress was going to tear in two. Eponine patted down the hem and adjusted the top so her boobs didn't show as much. Cosette and Marius stood in the line of people waiting to get in. They spotted Eponine and Enjolras and waved.

"I guess we should go over there." Eponine said awkwardly. She walked over slowly, trying not to fall on her face since her shoes were unbalanced.

"Hi Ep!" Cosette said happily. Cosette was dressed a light blue dress that went to her knees and was topped with a turtleneck. Eponine suddendly felt very self-conscious. "They haven't opened the doors yet. But at least we get some more time to talk!"

"Great." Eponine said falsely, forcing a smile.

###############

"Can we watch _Zombieland_?" Gavroche asked Azelma, who flipped through the channels.

"No."

"But why not?" He whined.

"You guys aren't old enough."

"I'm only 2 years younger than you!"

"Yeah, but you're less mature. Y'know, mentally." Azelma stopped on _The Spongebob Movie_. "Besides, Simon and Jacques aren't old enough." Gavroche groaned and crossed his arms.

"If zombies were human once, wouldn't that mean that eating humans would make them cannibal?" Simon asked Azelma.

"Maybe. But I think that they don't exactly classify as human once they're dead." Azelma replied, pulling out her phone.

"But still, that's just messed up."

"Agreed, little bro. Agreed."

"Zelma?" Jacques asked.

"Yeah, Jacques?"

"If you ever become a zombie, promise not to eat me?" Jacques held out his pinkie. Azelma wrapped hers around it.

"Promise." Azelma said. Her phone buzzed. It was Jehan.

"Is it Ponine?" Simon asked, leaning over his sister. Azelma pushed him away.

"No, it's Jehan."

J: Hey are you busy?

"Who's Jehan?" Gavroche asked.

"Nobody."

A: Yeah I'm babysitting my brothers since Eponine and my parents are out

J: Oh

Cause I was just wondering if you wanted to come over and watch a movie

"Is Jehan your boyfriend?" Gavroche asked as he read through their texts. Azelma started blushing.

"No!"

A: Why don't you just bring the movie to my place bc then I can watch my brothers at the same time

J: Okay!

What's your address?

Azelma sent Jehan the address.

"Eponine said no friends." Simon mentioned.

"Yeah, but this isn't exactly going out with friends." She said. All three of her brothers gave her a look. 20 minutes later, the doorbell rang. Azelma answered it. Jehan stood at the door, wearing a backpack, his bike helmet, and the movie.

"Hi!" He said enthusiastically.

"Hey." Azelma said. Jehan walked inside of the apartment and studied the ceiling. His eyes came to rest on her three brothers glaring at him. "Boys, this is Jehan. Jehan, these are my brothers- Gavroche, Simon, and Jacques." Simon gave a mock salute, Jacques did a little wave, and Gavroche just shrugged. "So what movie did you bring?"

"Moonrise Kingdom!"

"Great!"

Azelma led him over to the couch, where they sat down and started the movie.

###############

"Isn't this beautiful?" Cosette asked Eponine as they entered. It was beautiful- A sparkling glass chandelier that was as wide as the room lit the area up with a warm glow. The table were round and covered in an elegant black table cloth, the dining ware fine china. A quartet of string instruments gracefully played classical music.

"Yeah, it really is." Eponine had never seen a place so nice. Back in her hometown, she had gone to parties with beer kegs and rock music, where she did things she regretted. But now that she was here, she understood why everyone wanted to be rich. Because this is what being rich was like.

"Let's take our seats," Marius said, ushering the girls and Enjolras to an empty table. Eponine sat down next to Enjolras and Cosette and Marius sat across from them. Eponine looked down in her lap while Enjolras studied the ceiling. There was an uncomfortable feeling in the room.

"How about we dance?" Cosette mentioned. Almost simultaneously, Marius and Cosette stood up and took each other's hands. They sashayed onto the dance floor, where they began waltzing along with many other couples.

"So..." Eponine awkwardly said. "You wanna dance?"

"Uh, sure." Enjolras got out of his chair and grabbed Eponine's hands. He lead her to the dance floor. As soon as Enjolras put one of his hands on her waist, Eponine began blushing. Neither of them knew how to waltz, so they just slowly walked around.

"So." Eponine said.

"So." Enjolras chuckled.

"What do you think of the gala?"

"It's not that great. I've never really been comfortable going to these kinds of things."

"What kinds of things?"

"Events catered by the wealthy."

"You don't appreciate your Cadillac and you don't like going to formal events." Eponine laughed. "I'm sensing a deep hate of the rich."

"Not deep. My family is very well off," Enjolras said. "It's just the fact that while they could be helping the less fortunate, they're busy stuffing their faces with caviar and laughing about luxury cars."

"Ah, but that is quite possibly the biggest difference between us. I don't care too much for helping others."

"Really? For someone like you-" Eponine broke out of his grasp, drawing the attention of Marius and Cosette.

"What do you mean someone like me?" She asked angrily, crossing her arms.

"Well, I just meant that you're not exactly super wealthy-"

"A lot of talk from someone who supposedly cares about others!" She yelled, and everyone stopped dancing and turned and looked at them. The string quartet even stopped played.

"Eponine, you're making a scene." He said as calm as he could manage.

"You're the one who started it!"

"You're the one acting like a huge bitch!" Eponine's mouth dropped open and Enjolras quickly regretted saying that. Eponine, on the verge of tears, rushed out. She waved down a taxi. All she wanted was to be home.


	8. October-Part Four

Azelma cuddled under Jehan's arm while the movie played. Her three brothers gathered at the foot of the couch wrapped in Azelma's blanket snacking on popcorn.

"Suzy Bishop reminds me of Eponine." Simon said.

"How come, Simon?" Jacques asked.

"They both go insane sometimes."

"I guess that's right." Azelma said, hugging Jehan tighter. "She just has a lot of stress. She's a like a ShamWow- she just absorbs everyone's stress." Jacques yawned, prompting Simon to do the same.

"Hey, Zelma?" Simon asked.

"Yeah, little bro?"

"I'm tired."

"Do you want to go to bed?"

"Yeah," Jacques said, yawning again. He got up and went upstairs. Simon followed him. Azelma looked down at Gavroche, who was asleep on the floor.

"I guess they're not ready to stay up that late," Azelma whispered to Jehan, who laughed.

"I guess not." She cuddled up to him more. "When is your sister going to be home?"

"She's not going to be home until at least midnight." Azelma said with a giggly voice. Her eyes caught with Jehan's. She kissed him on the lips, but quickly pulled back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Jehan kissed her and they stayed like that for a long time.

###############

Eponine rested her head against the window of the taxi and watched as rain gently pattered against the window. She was angry, more than angry.

She was pissed off. Beyond belief.

Her phone buzzed in her purse. She pulled it out and looked at it. It was Enjolras.

E: Eponine please come back

Eponine scoffed and put it back in her purse. Seven minutes later, it buzzed again.

"What do they want?" She grumbled. This time it was Cosette.

C: Eponine you need to come back

E: Why should I?

C: Because!  
>Eponine please?<p>

Eponine stuck her phone in her bra and thought about what she would do. She couldn't go back to the gala, that was out of the picture, and she couldn't go back home because Azelma would know something happened if her sister arrived four hours too early.

She ended up in front of Courfeyrac's house. He was a little bit confused when he answered the door and Eponine was standing there, but he saw her expression and rushed her inside. The two stood at the kitchen counter drinking coffee.

"So what now?" Courfeyrac asked. Eponine let out a sigh.

"Well, I can't go back to the gala. And I can't go home because Azelma will be suspicious if I show up early." Eponine sipped her coffee. "I was thinking I could crash here. Just for a few hours."

"Ok." Courfeyrac said. "There's an extra mattress in my basement, if you wanna sleep there."

"Thanks," Eponine said. She went down to the basement and Courfeyrac tagged after her.

"If you need any blankets or anything, just let me know." Courfeyrac turned on the light and a single mattress was lying on the concrete floor.

"Wow, you were not lying when you said 'extra mattress'." Eponine threw her purse on the old mattress. She sat down on the concrete as well as her dress could move. Courfeyrac sat next to her.

"You're not a bitch, Eponine. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "But you're not the one who needs to be telling me that." Courfeyrac hugged Eponine.

"Whatever." He planted a kiss on her forehead. "You're still great."

"Courf?"

"Yeah, Ponine?" She paused and looked up at him.

"Make me feel not sad."

A little over 20 minutes later, Eponine was sitting on Courfeyrac's porch wearing one of his shirts that smelled heavily of Old Spice. She had done it. She had let her reputation catch up with her. Not even a month in, and it had happened.

"I am a terrible role model," Eponine said to nobody but the stars and the night sky. She picked at her nails.

When she went back inside the house, it occurred to her that Courfeyrac had fallen asleep on the mattress downstairs. That was her cue to leave. She picked up her dress and put it back on, leaving Courfeyrac's shirt on the mattress.

Eponine boarded the city bus and sat in the very back, reeking of sex, Old Spice, and loneliness.

She arrived home two hours later, after the bus driver kicked her off for riding too long. Eponine stuck her key in the door to the building and slowly marched up the steps. When she got to her apartment, she could hear giggling. Eponine opened the door on Jehan and Azelma, who were making out.

"Eponine!" Azelma shrieked, jumping off the couch. Jehan's eyes got really big and Eponine turned bright red. "Uh... you weren't supposed to be home until later!" Eponine stood there in complete shock.

"Jehan, please leave. I need to speak to my sister." Jehan got off the couch and waved goodbye to Azelma. He rushed out the door.

"What were you thinking?!" Eponine yelled at Azelma. "I said no friends!"

"Why are you overreacting so much?" Azelma asked. "It's not like we went anywhere!"

"You went against my order! That's what's pissing me off here!" Eponine plopped onto the couch and put her face in her hands.

"Well, fine! I'm sorry, alright?" I'm fucking sorry!" Azelma sat down on the floor. Eponine looked at her sister.

"Azelma..." she sighed. "It's not your fault. I'm just... a little flustered."

"By what?" Azelma snapped.

"My date with Enjolras went off the rails." Azelma's mouth dropped open.

"What? Why? What happened?"

"He... called me a bitch."

"Really?" Azelma paused. "Wow. Have you told Musichetta?"

"No, not yet. The better question is, how?"


End file.
